BEHIND
THE
BADGE
A look into one UPD officer’s night on patrol in Huntsville
KASSIDY TURNPAUGH
Assistant News Editor
Being a police officer is not all
shotgun shells and car chases, but
it is still a high-stress and highintensity job.
The Houstonian participated
in a police ride-along during
Thursday night with Sam
Houston
State
University
Police Department’s Patrol Sgt.
Daniel Barrett, who proved the
aforementioned statement to be
more than true.
Barrett has seen quite a bit in
his 13 years in law enforcement.
After working as a detective in
both the narcotics and criminal
investigation departments of the
Walker County Sheriff ’s Office,
Barrett has seen more than his fair
share of crime. This was evident

during the six-hour ride along.
After approaching a vehicle in
his cruiser, Barrett pointed out the
aversion that many people have
toward law enforcement officers.
One of the most common
examples of this can be seen when
a person sees a police car next to
them on the road they tense up and
try to act nonchalant in their nowrobotic movements, according to
Barrett. Another form of distrust
that Barrett has witnessed is that
of people teasing their children
about an officer taking them to jail
if they do not behave.
“Whether they realize it or not,
that woman just made her child
afraid of police officers,” Barrett
said. “God forbid if something
ever happens and we need to talk
to that kid. He is going to be afraid
of me now, and I won’t be able to
help him.”

In addition, officers often find
themselves dealing with almost
impossible situations on a daily
basis. For example, the events
Barrett experienced during this
one shift of duty ranged from
dealing with a man strung out on
angel dust to trailing multiple cars
to busting 400-person party at a
Sam Houston Avenue apartment
complex.
“It does get to some people
sometimes,” he said. “The worst
thing you have to do is a death
notification. No matter how I
do it or anything, I’m going to
be associated with that person’s
death.”
The duties of a police officer
often extend beyond the physical
realm. Barrett said it isn’t
uncommon for officers to take
on the role of emotional support
system.

“We wear many hats,” he said.
“At some point you’ll have to be
someone’s counselor, you might
have to be their dad. There are so
many different roles. Sometimes
you have to be supportive.
Sometimes you have to be tough.
You have to be the strong one even
though it is something bad.”
Despite being surrounded
by chaos and fist-fighting with
criminals, officers of the law must
maintain a calm composure even
when dealing with some of the
most difficult things imaginable,
according to Barrett.
Thursday, Barrett received
a tip on the massive party and
started assisting Huntsville Police
Department by moving in on the
scene after already having more
than 13 straight hours of patrol
under his belt.
Barrett later said a conversation

NFL COMBINE

with his wife had once ended in a
tell-all situation after a gruesome
day on the job.
“She just pushed the wrong
buttons,” he said. “I told her: At 8
o’clock in the morning I went out
and saw one dead body. Then I
had to take a sexual assault on a
child case. After lunch I had to go
see another dead body.”
Barrett said people sometimes
forget those behind the badge
are just as human as those they
swear to serve and protect. Just
like anyone else, the job can take
a toll on them, yet Barrett remains
positive.
“I have been extremely lucky
that I am able to push it all into
the back of my mind.” Barrett said.
Officers are required to go from
scene to scene without letting it
affect them. They also have to keep
—

UPD, page 2

CAMPUS

AB IV repairs
slated for
end of April
CONNOR HYDE
Editor-in-Chief

Associated Press

LIVING THE BIG DREAM. Sam Houston State University senior running back Timothy Flanders runs a drill at the 2014 NFL Combine in Indianapolis,
Ind. Flanders recorded an unofficial 4.65 second 40-yard dash time with an official 4.75 second run. Flanders led the Bearkats to two-consecutive FCS
National Championship appearances in 2011 and 2012. Flanders also holds the Southland Conference record for all-time career rushing yards.

CAMPUS

Coliseum uses social media to boost fan base
JEREMY VILLANUEVA
Sports Editor
In an effort to attract more Sam
Houston State University students
to its events, Johnson Coliseum
has hit the web to reel in new fans.
Coliseum staff took to social
media outlets after finding
the venue lacking in student
attendance and hopes to see
an increase in attendance after
entering into the second semester
of online promotion.
Although there hasn’t been
any significant changes in
attendance since their beginning
on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram, the Coliseum has seen

Visit our website!
www.HoustonianOnline.com

an increase in being more clear
and concise with the events held
at the Coliseum and spreading
information quicker, according
to Ed Chatal, associate director of
facilities.
“What [our social media] has
done is improve communication
and the accuracy for when the
events are, what it costs to get in,
and anything that’s beneficial for
the Sam Houston student,” Chatal
said.
Chatal said their presence on
social media gives the Coliseum
the chance to spread the word
about events that aren’t SHSUspecific. The Coliseum hosted
a TNA Impact Wrestling event
Feb. 16 and will play host

to high school basketball’s
University Interscholastic League
quarterfinal matches Tuesday
night with Madisonville High
School taking on Navasota High
school, followed by Houston Yates
High School squaring off against
Silsbee High School.
“We’re expecting 3,000 people
for this high school quarterfinal
playoff,” Chatal said. “I wouldn’t be
surprised if we had 3,500 people.
A lot of people might not know
that we have this event. You put a
little Facebook blurb and people
will share that pretty quickly.”
The Coliseum is still struggling
to get high numbers on SHSU
events.
SHSU’s
highest
home

attendance came in men’s
basketball match against rival
Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 15,
with 1,884 people in attendance.
However, most matches have been
just a little over 1,000 people and
as low as 682 people.
Sophomore criminal justice
major Kadeem Pickett expressed
how he never had a real desire to
make it to a game because it hasn’t
really pull his interests, but he
saw how the wrestling event was
being promoted and that began to
appeal to him.
“Putting stuff out there [on
social media] definitely makes
a lot more people come out,”
—

COLISEUM, page 2

Repairs to Academic Building
IV are expected to be complete at
the end of April following a singlecar accident that killed three Sam
Houston State University students
in December.
According to Gordon Morrow,
director of plant operations, the
construction will total close to
$70,000 with repairs needed to
the brick foundation on the south
side of the building. Construction
is slated to begin in March.
The pillar that runs adjacent to
the south-side stairwell suffered
damage to the brick foundation,
although Morrow said the
structural integrity of the building
did not suffer.
Alpha Building was awarded
the contract for the construction
of the building as well as repairs to
windows and hand rails affected
by the accident. Morrow said
the university’s electrical shop is
currently repairing a light pole
that was damaged as well.
Morrow said ABIV will not
shut down during construction
and classes will not be affected.
Price Consulting Engineer
Bruce Cummins inspected the
damages to ABIV on Dec. 2324, 2013, and said the brick that
was affected was immediately
removed from the building to
ensure safety for students and
workers. Currently, a fence
encompasses the construction
area to maintain safety for
pedestrians and students from
potential falling objects.
“We’re trying to be safe and
conservative by taking bricks off
that need to be taken off,” Morrow
said. “We’d rather be safe than
sorry.”

Facebook.com/
TheHoustonian
Follow us today!
@TheHoustonian

Be sure to check out the Houstonian Orientation Guide located around campus and
the City of Huntsville! Can’t find one? Let us know and we’ll get you a copy.

Page 2

News

Tuesday, February 25, 2014
houstonianonline.com/news

STATE

Kaleigh Treiber | The Houstonian

STATE PRIMARIES. Campaign signs plaster Huntsville as Texas primary elections are next Tuesday. Terry Holcomb and John Otto are facing off to claim District 18 as their own. Holcomb is the
newcoming challenger as Otto defends his incumbency. Although each candidate is fighting on the Republican ticket, each have their own agendas within the parties platform.

TX primary candidates make case
HANNAH ZEDAKER
Senior Reporter
State representative for District
18 John Otto is up for re-election
against
fellow
Republican
challenger Terry Holcomb in the
upcoming state primary election.
Otto, a Dayton, Texas, native,
was first elected to the Texas House
of Representatives in November
2004. Now, nearly a decade
later, he serves on the House
Appropriations Committee, is
chairman of the subcommittee
on education and vice-chairman
of the House Ways and Means
Committee.
“I
consider
myself
a
conservative, Ronald Reagan
Republican,” Otto said in an
exclusive interview with The
Houstonian. “That’s what I was
when I first ran for this office,
and I haven’t changed. I’m still the
same person today.”

In the past, Otto has had paid
interns work with him from Sam
Houston State University as well as
involved political science students
in his campaign.
Upon his potential re-election,
Otto said one of his main goals
is to continue working within
what he considers two of the
most influential committees—the
Appropriations Committee and
the Ways and Means Committee.
“My goal is to continue to have
input and to help Texas continue
to adopt a balanced budget,” Otto
said.
Holcomb, a Republican from
Coldspring, Texas, is a former
millwright,
Dow
Chemical
Company employee and pastor.
“Over the years, our children’s
liberties and freedoms slowly
were eroded away usually [due]
to legislative actions, or the lack
thereof, so that is definitely one of
the core things that pulled me into
the race,” Holcomb said. “Some of

the other things that really gave
me a heart to want to run would
have been my opponent’s current
voting record. It has been less than
stellar, to say the least, and so that
was another issue. I really could no
longer just sit back and just take
the status quo, so I really thought
it was time for me to engage at a
different level to be able to try to
fight back against those types of
behaviors.”
Holcomb said three of
his main issues included in
his platform are zero-based
budgeting, transportation and
illegal immigration. Zero-based
budgeting is the practice where
a new budget is built from the
bottom up instead of modifying a
previous budget.
“I believe one of the biggest
changes I can make specifically for
District 18 is that I will actually
work on issues that are important
to the district,” Holcomb said.
“The district’s very specific issues

have basically been ignored for
special interest and lobbyist
interests, [like] our continued
debt escalation, our continued
spending escalation [and] our
lack of activity when it comes
to illegal immigration. I just feel
that our district was not being
properly represented around
those conservative values.”
According to Holcomb, the 83th
Legislature failed to pass many of
the conservative bills he felt were
good policies. Contradictory, Otto
said that he believes too many bills
are passed.
“I’m one of those that believes
that I don’t go into sessions
looking for how many bills I can
file, Otto said. “I think we file
too many bills, and the process is
pretty difficult for a bill to make it
all the way through, so I don’t go
into session with any preconceived
ideas. As people in my district
make me aware of things that may
need to be addressed then I will

take a look at that, but I think we
file too many bills, personally.”
The Affordable Care Act of 2010
is another issue of contention.
“The Affordable Care Act is
basically a one-size-fits-all [policy]
that the federal government forced
down on all 50 states,” Otto said.
“I just think the 50 states ought
to be allowed to address it so we
can address what works in Texas.
What works in Texas may not
work in California.”
Although they both claim
to oppose the policy, Holcomb
believes Otto supported it through
his voting record.
“When every conservative was
saying ‘no’ to Obamacare and
Medicaid expansion, John Otto
was voting for it,” Holcomb said.
Primary elections open March
4.

CAMPUS

iDrive designated driver program to reboot
JAY R. JORDAN
Associate Editor
The
rejuvenated
iDrive
program by the Alcohol and
Drug Abuse Initiative at SHSU is
looking to alleviate drunk driving
in Huntsville.
The program advocates the use
of designated drivers for students
who go out to bars by providing
multiple incentives such as a free
cup and non-alcoholic drinks for
the designated driver in order to
cut back on drunk driving and
boost responsible drinking among
college students.
ADAI coordinator Edward

UPD,

Gisemba has been in his position
for more than two years and said
his goal for iDrive is showing
students the benefits of drinking
responsibly.
“We have to recognize that a
major key to preventing drinking
and driving is teaching students…
not to get behind the wheel after
you’ve had too much to drink,” he
said. “[iDrive] leaves that decision
in their hands.”
The program was popular in
the past, according to Gisemba,
but was temporarily put on hold
because its popularity decreased
and drove it to dormancy. He
hopes iDrive’s re-launching will
reverse that conception students

have of ADAI.
“The
program
is
often
stigmatized,” he said. “Ultimately,
the ADAI is not a program that’s
trying to say ‘don’t drink.’ We’re
not trying to inhibit, by any means,
the fun experience students hope
to have in college but rather to
make it a safer one.”
Gisemba said ADAI is also
“exploring” similar services to
Chi Alpha’s Kat Kab designated
driving service, a program in
which students voluntarily wait
outside Shenanigan’s and Jolly Fox
and offer free rides to people who
are too intoxicated to drive.
Kat Kab director J.C. Claverie
said both programs take different

JUMPS
page 1

face even in the hardest times.
Barrett said officers will be
coming straight from one scene
to the next and have to transition
between “hats” without missing
a beat, much like his transition
between busting the party and
going back to standard patrol.
“Sometimes we may just have
this look on our faces,” Barrett
said. “The reason for that is we
may have just told someone that
their family member had passed
away and the next minute been
fighting with someone.”
However, Barrett and several of
his colleagues attested to the fact
that the role a police officer plays
in their community is a thankless
one.
“One day these people will be
cussing at you and trying to fight
you and the next they will be the
victim of some crime asking for
your help,” he said.
People associate police officers
with something bad happening,

Barrett said. Even when just
out in the community and
connecting with civilians, people
automatically assume they’re in
trouble.
“No one ever calls the police
when something good happens,”
he said. “They hate us until they
need us.”
According to Barrett, working
in law enforcement is a profession
you have to love to keep doing.
Amidst all the harsh realities
officers face, they also get to help
people, and that is what makes the
job worthwhile.
Pick up next Tuesday’s edition
of the Houstonian for the second
installment of Behind the Badge.

COLISEUM,

page 1

Pickett said. “The numbers [in
attendance] should be going up.”
To get more people out to the
last two home basketball matches
next week, Chatal and his social
media team are constructing a way

to show fan appreciation and fill
the stands by promoting online.
“We’re going to try to get a
couple more people that we
wouldn’t [usually] have,” Chatal
said.
Chatal said that he’s hoping to
get one to two more people to be
aware of the events being held at
Johnson Coliseum and from there
it set off a chain-reaction to gain a
larger audience, he said.
One current project is to use
social media as a resource to
garner more people for the fourth
annual Sammypalooza that will be
hosted at the Coliseum on March
26.
“We haven’t had this tool yet,”
Chatal said. “All information can
be shared on [social media].”
The Coliseum will use its
social media sites to make the
official announcement of the
entertainment at Sammypalooza
Thursday.

approaches for the same cause.
“I think it’s definitely a good
idea,” he said. “It will certainly, I’d
like to think, help advocate people
to drive responsibly and to make
sure people get home safely. For
people that go to bars, this will
help just for those alone.”
One Chi Alpha member said in
the fall 2013 semester, they gave
more than 750 rides to people at
the two bars. Claverie said Kat Kab
will continue offering free rides
in light of iDrive and welcomes
the help in getting students and
Huntsville citizens home safely.
Although the two programs
will work towards one goal, they
differ in method. While Kat Kab

offers a service to those who
don’t necessarily plan in advance,
iDrive will promote pre-partying
responsibility.
The way Gisemba said ADAI
will promote iDrive is through
banner placement advertising
the program to students who are
about to go out.
“With it being such a positive
program especially in light of the
recent [deadly drunk driving]
accident on campus, we’re hoping
students will be receptive,” he said.
ADAI hopes to have the
program fully implemented by fall
2014.

Page 3

Viewpoints

Tuesday, February 25, 2014
houstonianonline.com/viewpoints

NATION

Morgan, Baldwin bad fits
COLIN HARRIS
Viewpoints Editor
In an essay in “New York
Magazine” published Monday,
Alec Baldwin announced his
resignation from public life. This
comes three months after the
cancellation of his MSNBC show,
“Up Late with Alec Baldwin.”
He’ll still be making movies, but
wants to return to being a simple
actor, rather than a mega celebrity
talk show host who occasionally
shouts and tweets homophobic
insults at paparazzi.
The same day rumors of the
forthcoming demise of “Piers
Morgan Live” began to swirl on
the Internet.
Morgan’s ratings on CNN
were consistently dwarfed by his
competition at Fox News and
MSNBC during his three years
on the network, yet he remained

in the headlines for his apparent
contempt for Middle America,
particularly the gun culture.
Baldwin and Morgan suffered
from the same debilitation. Both
men were larger personalities than
their medium needed, and at least
in the case of Morgan, the show
suffered because of it. Baldwin’s
show, on the other hand, lasted
five episodes before another of
his homophobic outbursts caused
MSNBC execs to cancel it in the
wake of controversy.
In retrospect the network heads
at both CNN and MSNBC should
have been more aware of what
Baldwin and Morgan brought to
the table.
Morgan was and is a ruthlessly
unethical “journalist” who came
to prominence editing various
tabloids in Great Britain. He had
little regard for the privacy rights
of his subjects while working in
print. This revelation came to
light during a still ongoing phone
hacking investigation alleged to
have occurred during his reign at
“The Daily Mirror.”
Beyond this, Morgan is also
a condescending bully. He’s
combative enough that his
Wikipedia entry includes its own
subsection on feuds. Furthermore,
he has as much self-importance

as you’d expect someone who’s
published four memoirs before
turning 50 to have.
All of this was known prior to
CNN hiring him as a replacement
for Larry King. Yet the network
(under old management that has
since been replaced) believed his
presence would be palatable to
the American public. His petty
squabbling with detractors on
Twitter seemed to escalate as his
show’s ratings sunk and now he’s
through.
Baldwin was also a known
quantity prior to getting his
MSNBC hosting gig. He’s been a
versatile screen actor for nearly
three decades, his most recent
success coming on NBC’s “30
Rock.” Off-camera though, he’s an
insensitive ass when it comes to
those who annoy him.
Four months before his
MSNBC show aired, Baldwin
went on a Twitter rant against a
British tabloid writer who accused
Baldwin’s wife of tweeting at a
funeral. He called the writer a
“little bitch” and a “toxic little
queen” while also threatening to
“fuck (him) up.”
In 2011 he was booted off of
an American Airlines flight prior
to takeoff, because he refused
to put his phone away and used

abusive language towards the
flight attendant who attempted to
gain compliance. In a column he
wrote on the incident, Baldwin
described the flight crew as
“retired Catholic school gym
teachers from the 1950’s.”
Should it have been any
surprise to anyone at MSNBC
that Baldwin would go on another
offensive rant a month into his
show? Unfortunately for him, this
tirade was caught on camera and
the actor was caught calling an
overzealous paparazzo a “cocksucking fag.”
Both Morgan and Baldwin
have dominating on-camera
presences and perhaps that’s what
the honchos at MSNBC and CNN
were hoping to take advantage
of when hiring the men.
Unfortunately for the networks,
Morgan never seemed to catch
on with American audiences
and Baldwin had a trademark
explosion.
From Anderson Cooper to
Megyn Kelly to Rachel Maddow,
the best talent (and best ratings)
on cable news seems to come
from in house promoting.
Before hiring another Morgan or
Baldwin, networks would be wise
to explore within for new hosts.

PAWS UP to Sochi closing
ceremony: Making light of the
opening ceremony error was
hilarious and surprisingly selfdepreciating.

PAWS UP to Okunoshima: The
Japanese island is filled with cute
fluffy rabbits and worth a search
on YouTube.

CAMPUS

Sochi ‘problems’ misses point
MONTY SLOAN
Columnist
As the Olympics came to a
close over the weekend, the social
media feeding frenzy over Sochi
has finally died down. Unlike
other sporting events, it wasn’t
the athletes or competitions that
dominated the conversations.
It was the accommodations,
from yellow tap water to public
restrooms without stalls.
The Sochi winter games
were the single most expensive
Olympic event in history, but
after the reports of stray dogs,
infrastructure problems and the
opening ceremony blunders,
all the money and production
value in the world couldn’t keep
people from talking about Sochi’s
problems.
In fact, the Twitter account
@sochiproblems
had
more
followers than the account of the
actual games. @sochiproblems,
which has 339,000 followers,
documented the issues athletes
and reporters experienced during
their stay in the Olympic Village.

The Twitter account reported
things like scary unfamiliar
toilets and the water condition
of Sochi tap. “Enjoy your peach
juice, it comes directly from
the tap! Oh wait, that’s water....
#SochiProblems” the account
posted.
Twitter isn’t the only place
documenting
the
extreme
hardships these poor souls
endured, International Business
Time’s Bobby Ilich published an
article criticizing the food in the
Russian city, lamenting that there
is no “delicious food that can be
purchased for no more than $5”
like he apparently enjoys at his
favorite gourmet food restaurants
in America.
USA Today interviewed
bobsledder Lolo Jones about the
food after she posted an Instagram
video of her teammate eating
“some sort of stew concoction.”
The horror.
The Russian Federation, as a
nation, was handicapped since its
inception. The country took on
the former USSR’s debts despite
having half the population and
no infrastructure to fall back on.
The nation has suffered several
financial crises while attempting
to build a nation out of nothing
but debt. Russia’s President
Vladamir Putin has commented
than even he has yellow tap water.
You see, this wasn’t some
horrible joke Russia played on the
world’s greatest athletes and other

NIGHTMARE BEAR. A large mascot blows out the Olympic flame with his
breath during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics In Sochi,
Russia. Russia finished with the top medal count with 33 overall medals.

event goers. These problems,
‘weird’ toilets, discolored water
and all, are the problems of a
nation that has been clawing
its way to a better life. These are
the problems the Russian people
suffer every single day of their
lives.
The favorite pastime of
journalists and social media
baboons everywhere, mocking
those they feel superior to, might
have made watching and reading
about the Olympic Games a more
fun experience for those who
need to fill a superiority complex,
but it completely misses the

point of International events. The
Olympic Games are about coming
together as a global society and
recognizing what is great about
each corner of the world, not
smugly trashing them for issues
they are well aware of.
Unless you played a direct
role in bringing the luxuries of
countries like America to bear,
perhaps you should keep your
mouth shut about those without
luxury. The hardships faced by the
Russian people may be comically
foreign to us, but to those who are
struggling to get past them, they
are no laughing matter.

PAWS DOWN to Arizona: Your
legislature passed a bill legalizing
discrimination against gays. Now
it’s up to the governor to veto.

The Houstonian was named in
the top 100 college newspapers
for journalism students by
JournalismDegree.org. Members
of Associated Collegiate Press
and Texas Intercolligiate Press
Association.

EDITOR’S NOTE
Articles, letters and cartoons by Houstonian staff members or others in
this paper are their own and not the opinion of the Houstonian, unless it
is noted as such. Submissions and letters to the editor are welcome. Please
send submissions to viewpoints@houstonianonline.com. Articles may
be edited for grammar and spelling at discretion of editor. Unsolicited
oppinions should be 150 words or under. Please contact us if you wish to
submit anything longer. Deadline for submission is by 5 p.m. on Mondays
or Wednesdays.

Dust off the shields, sharpen up
the spears and get ready to go on a
raid of all the other shows on cable
television.
The History Channel set a
record last year with their scripted
show “Vikings” by becoming the
number one new cable series of
2013 according to USA Today
and is set to return Thursday for
season two.
“Vikings” is a perfect mix of
gore, action, lust and plot twists
raiding the viewership of all of its
competitors.
Having a background in martial
arts and earning her first black belt
at age 13, Katheryn Winnick has
prepared for the role of Lagertha
Lothbrok her entire life, she said.
Winnick said the complexity of
her character is multi-dimensional
as she must continue to face this
season including a miscarriage,
the death of her daughter, her
husband Ragnar’s infidelity and
a plague that killed most of her
people.
“[Lagertha’s] identity is tested
in the second series…does she
choose to stay with [Ragnar] and
forgive him or does she decide to
leave and follow her own path?”
Winnick said in an exclusive
interview with the Houstonian.
Through her misfortunes,

Courtesy of Whitney Spencer

IN FURS AND CHAINS. Rollo (Clive Standen) and Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) prepare for battle against one another
in a new season of “Vikings”. Rollo is tired of walking in the shadow of his older brother and will fight to the death to
prove himself worthy of his own name. Which of the strong-willed men will gain ultimate power?

Lagertha remains a strong and
independent
character
who
holds her own against the male
characters on the show.
Clive Standen, who plays
Ragnar’s brother Rollo, is one of
these powerful male characters
who constantly clashes with the
others.
The most significant of these

tiffs is between Rollo and his
brother Ragnar in the struggle for
power.
Ragnar is the acting leader
throughout most of season one
with Rollo constantly dwelling
in his brother’s shadow and
remaining loyal.
After numerous altercations,
Rollo finally decided to betray his

brother and side with an opposing
leader. Season two picks up at
what is sure to be an epic battle
between the brothers.
Aside from the lust- and ragefilled
relationships
between
the characters, season two also
promises to mimic the heavily
detailed and elaborate imagery
from season one.

The Vikings were bucolic people
and lived hardy lives in often
meager and dreary conditions.
“It is exciting because there
will be new landscapes and the
locations are absolutely stunning
when you’re on set,” Winnick said
about the set locations.
“Vikings” is filmed on location
in Ireland where the crew builds
physical sets including entire
farms, villages and cities.
“When you walk on the set …
it’s really such of a playground. You
can go into different departments
[like] the costume department
where they are all making your
costumes by hand, hand stitched
and leather,” Winnick said.
Emmy-award winning costume
designer Joan Bergin plays with a
variety of materials and textures
when creating the look of the
different characters, Standen said.
Standen praised the costumes
as being “formidable in this
show…In season two I have this
one costume in one of the episodes
which is made out of seven coyote
pelts [and it] just weighs a ton.”
It is that attention to detail that
makes “Vikings” such a unique
show. The costumes and settings
act as characters in their own
right and transport the actors into
another time.
Already on the path of repeating
a recording-breaking premiere,
season two of “Vikings” returns
for on Thursday at 9 p.m. on The
History Channel.

GAMING

‘Rayman Legends’ stays true to platformers
JP MCBRIDE
Contributing Reporter
In “Rayman Legends,” Rayman
and his pals Globox and Murfy are
back after a two-year break since
their last adventure.
Ubisoft returned the franchise
to its original roots as a sidescrolling
platformer
with
“Rayman Origins” and sticks with
the genre for “Rayman Legends.”
Rayman’s return to the platformer
genre is a welcome one, as some of
the past few Rayman games were
more catered to family play and
had Rayman dealing with some
bizarre, and possibly grotesque
rabbits.
The story of “Legends” begins
with Rayman and his pals sleeping,
when Murfy wakes Rayman and

his friends up to save the Glade
of Dreams from five evil wizards
and their minions, who are simply
called the Nightmares.
After the opening cut scene, the
game does not tell much of a story
as there are no more cut scenes
and very little dialogue among
the characters. The only dialogue
comes in the form of thought
bubbles that appear overhead,
revealing the character’s thoughts
and occasionally giving the player
instructions.
The game’s visually appeal is
what could draw more people
to play. It is evident that Ubisoft
made it a mission to fill gameplay
with vibrant colors, and play host
to a variety of characters and
enemies. Every level emulates
the intricacy of a painting that

presents a unique style.
Some of the locales include
lush jungles, volcanic caves, ocean
floors, and levels made out of
food. With so many unique levels,
the game never gets stale from a
visual perspective.
There are four playable
characters: Rayman, his frog-like
friend Globox, a Teensie (the blue
wizards that inhabit the Glade of
Dreams), and a barbarian princess
named Barbara. None of the
characters hold any advantages
over the others.
“Legends” requires a great
amount of hand eye coordination
and increases in difficulty towards
the end. It has a great sense of pace,
with a mix of levels that require
quick reflexes and good old
fashioned, patient puzzle solving.

The game incorporates new
mechanics as the game progresses,
keeping it freshly entertaining.
Shorter levels are fast-paced and
frenetic, while longer levels require
precise timing and exploration
off the main path in order to get
100 percent completion. Like the
beloved Super Mario Bros, levels
in beginning of “Legends” only
consist of running, jumping, and
smacking enemies that may get in
the way.
The objective of every level
is to collect as many yellow,
coin-like Lums as possible and
rescue imprisoned Teensies. By
collecting enough Lums, usually
300 in shorter levels and 600 in
longer levels, and rescuing all of
the Teensies in a level, the player
will receive a gold medal for both

objectives.
“Legends” can be played and
enjoyed solo, but the game is
much more fun when playing with
among friends. The game can be
played with up to four people.
The game only supports
local multiplayer, which is an
inconvenience to the players. There
are only online leaderboards.
“Rayman Legends” is what every
modern platformer should strive
to be. With a gorgeous artistic
style, challenging gameplay and a
variety of unique levels, the game
always stays fresh and gives the
player incentive to continue.
The game takes around 10
hours to complete, but has great
replay value for those who are
completionists.

TELEVISION

More horror than drama in ‘House of Cards’
BRENT LEITH
Contributing Reporter
Self-proclaimed
media
watchdogs have called television a
cesspool for years.
They say that television decays
moral judgment by exposing the
public to sex, naughty words,
and to a lesser extent, violence.
There is no doubt the watchdogs
of the world see Netflix’s “House
of Cards” as the continuation of
this decay, despite the acclaim it
enjoys from critics and fans.
To everyone else, especially
the more than 600,000 Netflix
subscribers who shot gunned all
13 episodes of the second season
on the weekend of its February
release, “House of Cards” is
relentlessly appealing.

Although risqué at times,
“House of Cards” rarely depends
on sex, violence or naughty
words, but it manages to be a
deeply disturbing and exciting
immorality tale all the same.
Maybe it’s the vicarious thrill of
being there close to power. The
audience gets a glimpse behind
the veil of the governing elite,
fictional although it may be, and
sees the invisible hand at work.
They quickly discover the
invisible hand is a monomaniacal
prick.
Frank
Underwood,
as
portrayed by the venerable Kevin
Spacey, sets himself apart from
his fellow television antiheroes
right away. He is impervious to
self-destruction. He doesn’t suffer
the alcoholic ups and downs
of Don Draper. He isn’t slowly
corrupted by power like Walter

Associated Press

VILLAIN. Kevin Spacey arrives at a special screening for season 2 of “House
of Cards. Spacey plays the antagonist Francis Underwood in the Netflix series.

White. Underwood is corrupt
from the start, but he doesn’t
view it as simple. He explains to
the audience, in frequent fourth
wall-breaking asides, that any
resemblance to corruption or
immorality is merely his adept
exercise of political cunning.
Politics is a sport to Underwood,
and he believes himself to be the
best to ever play the game. He
throws lesser players to the wolves
with ease and confidently predicts
the moves of his more seasoned
opponents.
When
they
deviate from his predictions,
he creates solutions on the fly,
bragging on his prowess as he
does. It’s the confidence he
exudes which makes him so
sinister and effective.
In a recent promotional
interview for “House of
Cards” on The Daily Show,
Spacey spoke briefly about
the time he spent with real
Washington politicians to
prepare for the role.
“It feels like you’re watching
performance art a lot of the
time,” he said. “I don’t believe
them. I don’t believe what they
say. I don’t think they’re being
absolutely sincere. I think it’s
performance art, and most of
them are bad actors.”
Spacey
touched
on
something we all know to be
true to some degree: politics
is an act of theatre and self-

delusion. “House of Cards”
brings that unsettling truth to the
forefront. It implies that politics
creates men like Underwood,
grants them an exemption to
acceptable behavior, and then lays
power in their hands. We should
all be very afraid, it suggests.
That implication transforms
“House of Cards” from drama
to horror. Underwood isn’t just
a politician. He’s every other
chainsaw-wielding scary movie
villain, with an insincere smile

in place of the burlap mask. The
slow, deliberate pacing of the
show gives him time to stalk his
victims, mull their fates, and
bask in their destruction. By the
end of the first season, he had
killed, manipulated or discredited
anyone that challenged him,
and he was rewarded with more
power for his efforts. This season
he sets his sights higher and does
it all over again. The audience is
riveted; they don’t want to look,
but can’t turn away.

Kats surge late in UNT tourney
MARISSA HILL
Sports Reporter
Sam Houston State’s softball
team turned the tables in their
favor this weekend as they picked
up three straight wins in the
closing days at the University of
North Texas Shootout in Denton.
The Bearkats defeated Abilene
Christian, Prairie View A&M
and Stephen F. Austin State after
dropping their first two matches
against Texas State and their first
meet-up with the Lumberjacks.
Despite falling 0-2 in the first
day of the tournament, sophomore
outfielder Jennie Kieval credits
their three-game winning streak
to a change in attitude.
“I think we stopped playing
scared,” she said. “We realized we
all had each other’s back and had
to go all out every play.”
Becoming fearless unlocked
SHSU’s power.
The Bearkats’ offense was
fueled by home runs sprinkled
throughout the match with two
of the Bearkats four homeruns

Alex Broussard | The Houstonian

DROPPING BOMBS. Junior Sarah Allison has solidified herself as one of the most threatening players on offense for
the Bearkats. Allison already has four homers on the season, with two of those home runs coming against Stephen F.
Austin in their last match-up of the University of North Texas Shootout as the Bearkats defeated the Lumberjacks 11-2.

coming from infielder Hillary
Adams. Junior outfielder Tayler
Gray started the fire for SHSU
homering to right field. She was
5-for-7 at the plate with 5 RBIs,
leading the Bearkats to a 6-1
victory against the Wildcats.
Pitching also anchored the
Bearkats as freshman Tayler

Atkinson was steely in the circle.
She spread out five hits over
five-and-two-thirds innings.
“She’s a huge asset to our team,”
Kieval said. “She does a great job
shutting down teams.”
SHSU’s
winning
ways
continued into the Prairie View
A&M game as they annihilated

the Panthers 16-6. The Bearkats
found their stride in the seventhinning stretch as they belted out
11 runs during the inning.
PVAMU gave SHSU some
support in the seventh inning,
contributing three walks and a
wild pitch, setting up a scoring
domino effect.

In their final contest on the
weekend, the Bearkats run ruled
the Lumberjacks 11-2. SHSU
started the game fiery, inundating
SFA with a six-hit, six-run first
inning.
Again, Gray initiated the
attack with a single to left center
field. She scored off of a double
from freshman infielder Tori
Koerselman. Adams continued to
apply the heat with a double to left
center, allowing Koerselman to
cross home plate.
The Lumber Jacks’ fate were
sealed in the fifth inning as they
allowed the Bearkats to deliver
four more runs off of four hits.
SHSU served up 33 hits in their
final three matchups and will head
into the Texas Tech tournament
with momentum on their side.
“We feel great,” Kieval said. “We
feel really confident in each other
to get the job done and get more
wins.”
SHSU will face ACU again as
their first opponent in the Texas
Tech tournament Friday.

BASEBALL

Baseball recovers for 2-1 series win

KYLE KELLY
Staff Reporter

It was an unusual night at Don Sanders
stadium Friday as Sam Houston State’s
baseball team walked away in defeat,
dropping their first game of the season.
The Bearkats fell 5-1 to the Dallas Baptist
Patriots due to errors and sloppy play in the
field.
DBU’s Paul Voelker pitched seven innings
accompanied by six strikeouts compared to
SHSU’s Tyler Eppler, who lasted four and
one-third innings, getting rocked early by

DBU by giving up four runs and four walks.
DBU not only outpitched SHSU, but
they also capitalized on SHSU’s mistakes,
including passed balls and defensive
mishaps.
“Instead of it being 2-1 late in the game
and having a chance to win it, we were
fighting for our lives to just create base
runners and stay in it,” head coach David
Pierce said. “They just played better than us
tonight, and they deserved to win.”
The Bearkats came into Saturday’s matchup with a chance to regroup and get back
into the series. Dominant Bearkat bats that

were asleep Friday, woke up Saturday in a
big way as SHSU would go on to capture the
win 12-2.
Starter Andrew Godail hurled five
innings allowing two runs on three hits.
Freshman pitcher Sam Odom came in relief
and pitched four scoreless innings with six
strikeouts to get his first career save.
“[Odom] is a great strike thrower and
we didn’t want to mess around,” Pierce
said. “I wanted to stay with him and I know
we burned him, but we needed this game.
When you’ve got a big lead and a strike
thrower, that’s a good combination.”
SHSU’s offensive explosion came from
big rallies throughout the game not in just
one particular inning like recent games.
SHSU added two runs in the fourth inning,
another two in the sixth, and a final run in
the seventh to seal the victory.
Outfielders Hayden Simerly and Luke
Plucheck both finished the game with three
hits and an RBI. Centerfielder Colt Atwood,
first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and shortstop
Corey Toups all had two hits apiece. Farney
had just one hit in the game but drove in
three runs and scored one.
“[Saturday] we just stayed with our

approach better and [Friday] we tried to
do too much,” Toups said. “Last night’s loss
was big, getting beat and coming back today
just shows how tough we are as a team.
Tomorrow will be big for us. This would be
a really good series win.”
In the last game of the three-game series
Sunday, Dirk Masters took the hill for the
second time this season for the Bearkats and
faired quite well throwing five innings and
yielding only one run during the Bearkats’
4-1 win. Third baseman Carter Burgess
was a big part of the SHSU offensive output
with three RBIs. Jason Simms pitched the
final two innings to get his second save of
the season.
The Bearkats will travel to Rice University
Tuesday before heading to the Houston
College Classic this weekend at Minute
Maid Park.
“We knew going into this weekend we
had three tough games and five behind
that with Rice, the Minute Maid Classic
and following that with Rice,” Pierce said.
“It’s going to be a tough little stretch, but
we’re looking forward to it and our kids are
excited about it. I like our chances.”

Alex Broussard | The Houstonian

THROWING DIRTY. Sophomore pitcher Dirk Masters threw for five innings allowing only one
run off of four hits in his second start on the mound for the Bearkats Sunday against Dallas Baptist.

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE

Lillie Muyskens | The Houstonian

News
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Geia Anderson | The Houstonian

FALLING BELOW. Sam Houston State women’s basketball had the chance to top Lamar and creep
back into the Southland Conference tournament race, but the Bearkats fell to Lamar once again,
dropping 81-64 Saturday afternoo. SHSU is now five games behind top-seeded Central Arkansas.

Bearkats sink lower in SLC
KARAH RUCKER
Contributing Reporter
Sam Houston State’s women’s basketball
continues to fall in Southland Conference
standings after another league loss against
Lamar University 81-64 Saturday in
Beaumont.
The loss drops the Bearkats to 6-8 in
conference play and puts them in the
bottom four, now six games behind league
leader Central Arkansas.
Although the scoreboard may have shown
differently Saturday, the Bearkats drastically
improved against the Cardinals after falling
70-45 just two weeks prior. Compared to the
previous match up, the Bearkats were more
effective offensively and adjusted defensively
with more ball pressure on Lamar’s offense.
“Our coaches decided to add a couple
of new offenses to give us different looks
at scoring,” junior post player Angela
Beadle said. “We also were more prepared
defensively against their offenses, and I
think that helped a lot.”
Similar to the first match-up, SHSU kept
a tight race with second place Lamar during
the first half and filed into halftime tied 4040.
However, history has a habit of repeating
itself.
Lamar took full control over the second
half. Of the next 35 points scored, 26 of

them were from the Cardinals. The Bearkats
had 23 turnovers, resulting in 30 points
against them.
With another loss, the Bearkats are
grasping for any slight chance of returning
to the post-season.
“We cannot afford to lose and put our fate
in other teams’ hands,” Beadle said. “Right
now we have to just take it one game at a
time.”
The season has been rocky for the
Bearkats. From a five-game winning streak
to a seven-game losing streak, this season
has been anything but consistent.
“This year overall has been rough,”
Beadle said. “At the beginning, I had high
expectations because we were winning and
playing very well together.”
Although the chances are becoming
unlikely for another run for the SLC
championship, the team is far from calling
it quits, according to Beadle.
“What I love most about our team is that
we could have gave up after the first couple
of losses in conference, but we have showed
fight and heart and have come back and beat
some good teams,” she said.
The Bearkats will travel to top-seeded
Central Arkansas (11-3 SLC) Thursday.
“Playing [UCA] at their house is not
going to be easy,” Beadle said. “If we want
to upset the top team in conference, we are
going to have to play a 40-minute ball game
and out work them.”